Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to an apparatus for and a method of illumination control for acquiring image information and depth information simultaneously, and more particularly, to an apparatus for and a method of illumination control for acquiring image information and depth information simultaneously while obfuscating an illumination pattern.
Description of the Related Art
Three-dimensional (3D) imaging systems are increasingly being used in a wide variety of applications such as, for example, high speed 3D imaging systems for advanced driver assistant systems (ADAS) and high speed 3D imaging systems for autonomous navigation.
In stereoscopic imaging or stereo vision systems, two cameras—typically displaced horizontally from one another—are used to obtain two differing views on a scene or a 3D object in the scene. By comparing these two images, the relative depth information can be obtained for the 3D object. Stereo vision is highly important in fields such as human-computer interfacing—e.g. to recognize human gestures, pose, image user in the shape of 3D avatar—and robotics, to extract information
about the relative position of 3D objects in the vicinity of autonomous systems/robots. Other applications for robotics include object recognition, where stereoscopic depth information allows a robotic system to separate occluding image components, which the robot may otherwise not be able to distinguish as two separate objects—such as one object in front of another, partially or fully hiding the other object. 3D stereo displays are also used in entertainment and automated systems.
In a structured light (SL) approach, the 3D shape of an object may be measured using projected light patterns and a camera for imaging. In the SL method, a known pattern of light—often grids or horizontal bars or patterns of parallel stripes or random star field—is projected onto a scene or a 3D object in the scene. The projected pattern may get deformed or displaced when striking the surface of the 3D object. Such deformation may allow an SL vision system to calculate the depth and surface information of the object. Thus, projecting a narrow band of light onto a 3D surface may produce a line of illumination that may appear distorted from other perspectives than that of the projector, and can be used for geometric reconstruction of the illuminated surface shape. The SL-based 3D imaging may be used in different applications such as, for example, in consumer game systems to recognize and track player's body skeleton inline inspection of components during a production process, in health care for live measurements of human body shapes or the micro structures of human skin, and the like.
Present cameras that acquire color images and determine depth (i.e., RGBZ cameras) include two sensors, one for acquiring a color image and one for determining depth of objects in the image. Cameras with multiple sensors have increased cost, size, and power consumption. In addition, present cameras that determine depth, determine one distance for each location in a scene.